Sweet Goodnight
by Micador
Summary: Set in the end of Eclipse, what would have happened if Bella convinced Edward to fight with his family? Please R
1. The End

Soft footsteps outside the tent alerted me. A snap as a twig broke underfoot. Slow, deliberate sounds that were meant for me to hear. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stiffen. She was here, and she was making sure I knew it, too.

_Where's Seth? _I strained my pitiful human hearing for the comforting sound of his breathing, hoping he'd escaped, but at the same time not wanting to be alone. It was selfish, but I couldn't help it. At least I could be sure Edward was safe. It had taken a lot of time, effort, and even more willpower than I'd thought I was capable of, but I had finally convinced him that helping protect his family was of the highest priority, and if Victoria was looking for me she would probably expect to find me with him. He had grudgingly agreed, only on the condition that Seth was to stay and protect me should anything go wrong (Jacob was a definite no-no), and I had assured him it wouldn't. Then he had held me close and whispered in my ear that he loved me and that if I were to die he would never forgive himself. "Edward," I'd said firmly, only slightly out of breath from his possessive kiss. "That's not going to happen." Oh, if only I had been right.

_Edward, where are you?_

A low growl that was unmistakably werewolf jolted me from my reminiscent thoughts and my heart leapt to my throat. Seth. He was still out there. I swallowed hard and unzipped the tent, ignoring my shaky hands.

The scene that greeted me outside was devastating. And it was all my fault.

Flaming orange hair was the first thing I saw, followed by the cat-like face and stance of Victoria, her black eyes drinking in my image hungrily, lips curling over her teeth in a terrifying smile. Somehow, she had guessed I wasn't with Edward, and had been right. Accompanying her was another, younger male vampire, blonde with the conspicuous red eyes of a newly-born vampire bright in his face. The way he angled himself in front of her, blocking her from Seth protectively, made me sure he was her "new" mate.

Seth, copying the new-born, moved his body in front of me, pressing me back me against the cliff face and let out a guttural snarl, his hackles raised. Vitoria's smile grew wider and her eyes never left mine.

"Riley, kill the dog."

The shock of her voice was completely unexpected. I had been expecting a strong, deep growl, one that would have matched her appearance, not the soprano harmony that reached my ears. Regardless, the short sentence was executed with menace, and Riley without so much as a second glance stalked towards Seth.

Tears suddenly sprang into my eyes. I couldn't do this to Seth. He was nothing more than a gangly fifteen year old kid! Biting back the fear and panic I let my hand curl around a sharp rock, squeezing it until it broke the surface of my skin. With a wince I felt the blood seep out of my palm. And that was all it took.

Completely distracted by my scent Riley instinctively propelled himself towards me, faster than my eyes could follow. But Seth, in his huge sandy wolf form, dove on him and together they tumbled deeper into the forest, a frenzy of teeth and claws.

Victoria was coming for me now, I could see it in her burning eyes. The desire to at last kill me emanated from her so forcefully it was almost a physical presence. At least it would be quick, I could be safe in the knowledge of that. Edward would be running to me now, realising Victoria wasn't with the others attacking his family. She could not afford to waste time the way James had. I would die under her hand, but Charlie and Renee would never know. They couldn't know. Maybe my body wouldn't even be recovered for the funeral. Thinking about Renee crying twisted my heart. Perhaps Charlie would, too. But none of the vampires. For them it was impossible.

_Edward..._ He would go to the Volturi. I knew he would, despite telling him not to. Time and time again he had reminded me that life, for him, without me, was no life at all. Impossible to believe, but inescapably true - he _would _kill himself.

Suddenly there was a sharp sense of being airborne, and then I smashed into the rocky ground hard. Gasping I twisted around in time to see Victoria dive at me again, this time throwing me at the cliff face. My spine bent with a sickening snap over a rocky outcrop and I fell to the ground in a pathetic mess. Something warm and sticky began trickling its way through my hair and from where I had hit my back downwards was completely numb. _My spine is broken_, I thought with a helpless incredulity.

Victoria stood over me, victory bright in her blazing eyes. For a tiny moment I saw them flicker away from my face, hearing something I could not. _It must be Edward! _And then they were back on me again.

Gathering all of my remaining strength so I was sure he could hear me, I cried, "I love you Edward!" sighing as my voice cracked on his name.

There was a stab of brief, blinding white pain, and then nothing.


	2. Slow Down

The sound made me sick to the pit of my stomach

The sound made me sick to the pit of my stomach. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think.

Edward.

My mind processed the name slowly, feeding it through like it was trying to prolong the pain. I wanted to run and escape the terrible scene I knew was coming, but for some reason my legs wouldn't work. And then it was too late.

The sound came again; a howl of agony, of complete and utter loss, followed by mournful tearless sobs.

My eyes unwillingly lifted to the edge of the clearing where Edward made his way towards us. What we had all feared had finally come to pass; he had been too late. For the first and only time in his life, Edward had not been fast enough, and it had cost him.

His face was twisted into a grimace of despair, distorting his normally beautiful features, and there, lying limply in his arms, was Bella.

"NO!" I screamed. I ran to him, to her, and the moment I came close enough I knew she was dead. No breath lingered on her cold lips, no signs of life to tell she still lived. I let out a cry of despair and shakily touched her face with the tips of my fingers, before using those same fingers to tear at my hair.

"Edward," I cried at him, pulling on his arm. He made no move to show he had heard me. "Edward!" I tried again. He ignored me. He was staring at her face, her dead face, with a look that suggested he was ready to kill himself. Behind his eyes flashed more emotions than I could count; love, anger, resolve, pain, grief. They fluttered around, crowding for a place in his mind. Yet he still retained that cautious delicacy he always saved for whenever he was in Bella's presence – a sure sign he had gone over the edge. There was no need to be delicate with her anymore.

"Edward?" I asked carefully, wary of his fragile state of mind. His bottom lip began to bleed.

After a long minute he answered, though it sounded more like he was talking to himself and still hadn't heard me. I watched the flashes of conflicting emotions behind his eyes closely.

"I have to go," he murmured. His eyes had a cloudy look to them; they were focusing on something only he could see. "I have to find…and they can…yes, I have to go now. It'll be too late otherwise…" His sentences were ominously left unfinished, and the dread growing inside of me would not be ignored.

"Edward, what are you talking about?" I shoved him roughly to grab his attention, but he barely swayed on his feet.

"I have to go now…" he repeated.

Something zapped the circuits of my mind and I suddenly saw a crumbling stone city; a charcoal overhang of thunderclouds; a beckoning hand through a partly open door, wrinkly and gnarled with age; Edward's face, indecision long gone; and a place so black not even the rats dare go…

"Edward!" My head snapped up fast as the vision ended and I grabbed the sleeve of his jacket. "Don't go…" I whispered intently, my eyes wide as they searched his for some sort of recognition.

He seemed to remember where he was because, for a bitter-sweet moment, he looked himself again.

"Alice," he said softly. "Tell the others I'm sorry."

Before I could react he had torn himself from my grip and taken off.

"Edward, wait!" I screamed, sprinting to catch him. "You can't do this!"

He kept running, and I fell behind.


End file.
